LADY HELEN WARD

STEWARTS

‘Not merely one of the best, but the best family lawyer in London’, according to legendary QC Lewis Marks. Lady Helen Ward, and longtime rival Fiona Shackleton, ‘are the two most important divorce lawyers of their generation,’ according to a peer. Lawyer of choice to some of the world’s wealthiest UHNWs, Ward has been active on some of the most important cases in recent memory — her celebrity clientele includes the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Paloma Picasso, Guy Ritchie, Bernie Ecclestone, and the Countess Spencer — not to mention many others, whose names she has successfully kept out of the spotlight. Revered for her discretion, forensic prowess and the ‘staggering amount of time and energy’ that she devotes to clients, she is clear when asked about her motivation. ‘Every case I settle is the best case I do. I regard litigation as a failure of one’s creative powers to settle a case. Obviously one can’t take responsibility for that alone, but litigation is not the outcome I seek to achieve. I think I had nine cases simultaneously against Diana Parker of Withers, and we settled every single one of them.’ Why should clients choose Stewarts? ‘We are the best,’ she says. ‘We have greater breadth, greater depth and greater skills than any other team. Our combined experience is unmatchable.’ Clients also offer poetic praise. ‘A mind like a jewelled watch and a wise and honest heart,’ says one.